Device for forming staves



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

T. J. SULLIVAN.

DEVICE FOR FORMING STAVES.

N0. 589 759. 8 g Patented Sept. 7,1897.-

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T. J. SULLIVAN. DEVICE FOR FORMING STAVES. N0. 589 759. P tented Se '71397.-

- a u n u 7 UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

TIMOTHY JAY SULLIVAN, OF BOW'LING GREEN, KENTUCKY.

DEVICE FOR FORMING STAVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 589,759, datedSeptember '7, 1897.

Application filed December 4, 1896. Serial No. 614,459. (No model.)

To all? whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, TIMOTHY J AY SULLI- VAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Bowling Green, in the county of Warren, State ofKentucky, have invented a new and useful Device for Forming Staves; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theartto which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved ap paratus for forming staves; andit has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, and rapid methodwhereby the staves are uniformly shaped and the contour thereofpreserved when completed.

To this end my invention consists, substantially, in subjecting thematerial from which the staves are to be produced to a certaintreatment, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

Accon'ipanyin g this specification are drawings illustrating myapparatus by which my invention may be carried out, and in which Figurel is an end elevation of my improved apparatus, the forms being raisedto within the drying-chamber, a portion of the casing of which is shownbroken away to show the interior arrangement; Fig. 2, a side View, on anenlarged scale, of one pair of the links which connect the forms, shownin the position they occupy when said forms are down; Fig. 3, a similarview showing them in the posit-ion they occupy when said forms areraised into the drying-chamber; Fig. 4, a top or plan view of one of thehorizontal lines or series of forms; Fig. 5, an end view of one of saidforms; and Fig. 6, a side elevation of the apparatus, showing the formsin the position when lowered to receive the blanks.

Corresponding parts in the figures are denoted by the same letters ofreference.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a drying-kiln, which comprises alongitudinal heating-chamber B and steainpipes 0, located between thevarious sections of the formers G throughout the length of the kiln,which intersects with pipes D D and are fed and drained, respectively,by the pipes E E.

By this arrangement the chamber B is heated throughout its entirelength.

Guide-posts F F are arranged at opposite ends of each section and guidethe formers G G G of the latter to their respective positions in theheating-chamber B.

The formers G each consist of a single section, the top side of whichconforms in ourvature to the outside of a completed stave and the bottomside conforming to the inside of a completed stave. Thus they are madeto perform the double duty of both former and lid,and when coupledtogether fit one into the other in perfect horizontal alinenlent.

At the bottom of the heating-chamber B Ihave the shutter R,which is ofsuch length and breadth and guided by the guide-posts 1* F that it shutsup the openingthrough which the formers G were let down, and to theshut- ,ter R are suspended the former-irons G by means of the links IIand the bolts I and pivots X, forming a continuous chain down the fulldepth of the section.

At the bottom of each section of formers and at th'eopposite ends ofsame are two enlarged and strengthened former-irons conformingapproximately to the central formerirons with their respective endsprojected in opposite directions a sufficient distance to connect to theyokes K K near the extreme ends of the strengthened forms, and projecting downwardly are two lugs 71 h, which hold the ends of truss-rods T,upon which stand the posts f f to hold the central forms inperfect'horizontal alineinent.

Hanging from the bottom former-irons is the shutter S, which is providedwith spiral springs U U U, which gives to shutter S limited verticalplay.

Connected to yokes K K are the hoistinglines L L, passing up through theheatingchamber 13 and over sheaves N N and around the sheaves O O O togrip M, which rests on foundation nin such a manner as to hold it in aperfect vertical position and at the same time limiting the drop of eachsection.

The links H and d are so constructed that when formers G are suspended,as shown in Fig. 6, a central pivotal vertical alinement between I X Iis impossible. The part (1, pivoted at X, comes in contact with part IIat m, as shown in Fig. 2, thus holding I I out of verticalalinementwithX and forming a fulcrum by which the folding of links 11 dis made possible under all circumstances.

The heating-chamber B stands at such a height from the ground as toallow the operators to walk thereunder and place the blanks J in theformers G. The hoisting-line P being now attached to grip M, passingthrough block a to the hoist Q, which hoists the cornpleted section toits respective place in the heating-chamber l where it remains until staves are dry and formed by hooking the slot XV in grip M on the rest V.At this point the springs U U U, making shutter S capable of limitedvertical play, which allows the grip M to'rise to sufficient height tohook on rest V and settle back to its proper bearing and still holdshutter S tight up against the bottom of the heating-chamber B andcompletely closing the opening through which the formers went up. Theblock a is now moved on the slide 1) to a point directly over oropposite the next section of formers, where at each of such positionsare provided a notch or depression e of suflicient depth on slide 17 tohold block a from slipping out of alinement, and line P is now connectedto the grip M, which is raised off of rest V by the hoist Q and loweredto the position shown in Fig. 6, where the dried and formed stares arepushed out by the operators as the fresh blanks are put in and in turnis raised up to the heating-cham ber and grip M, hooked on rest V, andin like mannercontinue from one section to the other the entire lengthof the kiln as fast as the heating-chamber will dry and form same.

' In carrying out my invention by means of the form of apparatus abovedescribed the staves are first cut into the proper size and contour.Theflat blanks thus produced are fed to or placed in the formers and arecarried by the latter to the heating-chamber B by the means heretoforeset forth. From the time the staves are placed in the formers and afterthey are carried to their respective place in the heating-chamber B theyare subjected only to the weight of the former-irons and the shutter R,which weight is not sufficient to bring them to the proper shape andcurvature while cold, but the heating-chamber B is of sufiicient depthto accommodate the extra height of the sections before the staves haveyielded under the weight of the forms, and in that manner they graduallybend as they become heated until by the time they are thoroughly heatedand before they are half dry they will have yielded to the exact shapeand contour of the formers, and when they are thoroughly dried thesection is lowered and the staves are taken from forms ready for use.

It will be noted that in this invention the staves are subjected to theweight of the formers and shutter R while they remain in theheating-chamber B,which pressure is sufficient to give them the exactcurvature and contour long before they are dry or by the time they havereceived the maximum degree of the heatingchamber.

By this invention the staves produced are of uniform contour, animportant desideratum in the art, and being thoroughly dried andseasoned retain their shape until used.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is-- 1. A drying andforming apparatus consisting of a drying-chamber, a series offormsconnected by jointed links and mounted to be raised and lowered into andout of said chamber, and means for raising and lowering the same,substantially as set forth.

2. In a drying and forming apparatus, the combination, of thedrying-chamber mounted at an elevation, forms joined by hinged links andmounted to slide vertically into and out of said chamber through itsbottom, means for operating them, and a follower and floor carried onthe top and lower sides of said forms respectively, to close the top andbottom of said chamber when said forms are in position therein,substantially as set forth.

In a drying and forming apparatus, the combination of the series offorms arranged in vertical tiers and connected by links jointed midwayof their length, said parts being formed one with acurver or bendtherein and means for limiting the pivot action to prevent verticalalinement of the several pivots, whereby the opening and closingtogether of the forms cannot be prevented or impeded, substantially asset forth.

4. The combination in a drying and forming apparatus, of thedrying-chamber mounted on supports above the working level, a series offorms mounted one above another and connected by jointed links,rwhichseries is mounted to he slid up and down into and out of saiddrying-chamber, a rigid base supporting said forms, elevating devicesconnected thereto, and locking devices for locking said forms inposition when elevated into the drying-chamber, substantially as setforth.

5. The combination in a drying and forming apparatus, of the drying-chamber, the series of forms arranged one above another andconnected by jointed links, a rigid base on which all said forms aresupported, a follower mounted to bear upon the uppermost one, andelevating mechanism connected to said base, whereby, when said forms areelevated all the weight rests thereon, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

TIMOTHY JAY SULLIVAN.

\Vitnesses:

A. M. CAUsEv, J12, M. A. l\'lAXEY.

